The shooting death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man fatally wounded by police March 18 in his grandmother's backyard, has sparked more than a week of protests and unrest in the city. Thursday was the third Sacramento Kings home game since Clark's death. At the previous two games, protesters prevented many fans from getting inside the arena, and deterred other fans from coming, as the Kings eventually closed arena entrances as part of safety procedures.

Thursday night, the Kings and the police took a different tact, announcing that fans with tickets to the game would be guaranteed entry. Barricades were erected around the perimeter of the stadium, deterring potential protesters from blocking entrances.

The result was that inside, it once again felt like a typical NBA game, with fans filling most seats, and the corridors busy with people walking to concession stands.

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Flip through the gallery to see photos of protests over the shooting of Stephon Clark surrounding the Sacramento Kings' arena on March 22 and 27, 2018. The Kings eventually decided to shut down the Golden 1 Center doors due to the protests but proceeded with both games. Sergio Estrada, USA TODAY Sports

But outside, there were still signs of the tragedy. Protesters gathered about two blocks from the stadium, and earlier in the day, South Sacramento Church overflowed with mourners at Clark's funeral.

Pacers coach Nate McMillan said he fully understood why the protests had taken place.

“It’s a terrible situation,” said McMillan after Wednesday’s practice at Golden 1 Arena. “It’s as simple as that. I wasn’t there, you’re not there, but to see these young black men continue to be shot without weapons, you can’t explain that.

“We’ve been seeing this go on a lot in our country. I’m a young black man. I have a son. What do you do in situations, when you’re pulled over, or you’re stopped? People are losing their lives in these situations where they’ve been stopped or pulled over, because people are assuming that you have a weapon. It’s something that needs to be corrected.

“Some of this stuff is caught, is on video, and there’s still not anything done about that. That’s a big problem.”

McMillan relied on NBA security to handle potential obstacles in getting to the arena for Thursday’s game, and for the morning shootaround. The Pacers bused to the arena about 30 minutes earlier than normal, and the team had no problem getting to the arena.

There was a much different atmosphere at the arena two days earlier. Many fans with tickets Tuesday never got into the building, leading to a sparse crowd for the Hawks-Kings game.

But the Kings issued a statement Wednesday, saying that fans with tickets to Thursday’s Pacers-Kings game should not be deterred from attending.

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SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt report on the response from NBA players, coaches and owners after an unarmed black man was killed by police in Sacramento.
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“We are meeting with the Mayor, law enforcement, and community leaders today and are committed to ensuring the safety and security of fans on Thursday and future events,” the Kings’ statement read. “We will continue to provide updates as they become available.”

Point guard Darren Collison, in his first season back with the Pacers, spent the previous three seasons in Sacramento with the Kings. Collison received a warm ovation from the crowd during pregame introductions, and he has kept in touch with people in the city. Collison said Clark’s shooting was a nationwide issue.

“It’s the times that we’re living in,” said Collison. “You definitely don’t want to see these things for your kids growing up. You just hope that, as basketball players, you can create a platform to distract from what’s really going on in this world. It’s disheartening.”

Collison says the protesters are seeking a voice.

“They want answers,” said Collison. “They want to be able to make change. They want to be able to not let this happen again. You can sympathize with why they’re trying to do it.

“The game is one thing, but the outside matter, and what they’re protesting for, it’s important. That’s a real-life situation that you just can’t overlook.”